Erica Noughton
Erica Noughton is Julia McNamara's narcissistic mother who often belittles Julia, by believing, and often showing in many ways, that Julia has wasted her life by not becoming a medical doctor. She is also a Columbia University graduate with a Ph. D. in clinical psychology, which often plays into her narcissism. rica first appears on the show in the first episode of the 2nd season. She comes to visit from New York, where she resides, to Miami to visit Julia and her family. She believes that Julia has distanced her too much from the family because she sees her as a threat to the family. Once she arrives, she approaches Sean and Julia with an interesting request. She asks for a face lift. Julia, and Sean, are both very shocked by her words. Erica claims she wants the face lift for professional reasons. After Sean and Julia agree to support her, Erica then asks Sean to do the face lift. Julia then firmly tells her that you cannot get your son-in-law to perform surgery on yourself. It is later decided that Christian is going to do the surgery. While in the consultation, Erica begins to breakdown and tell how she feels weak and pathetic to come to the point of wanting a face lift. Christian then comforts her by telling a personal story of his where he was recently rejected by a young girl due to his now aging looks. The scenes ends with Erica guiding Christian's hands up her skirt and the both of them smiling. She later tells Julia about this, which infuriates Julia at both her mother and Christian. Christian then performs the surgery. She then spends the next episode recovering from the surgery. Once Erica has finally healed from the surgery, she is up actively again, only to meet her match. While Julia is being interviewed by her new possible life coach, Ava Moore, Erica interrupts only to try to belittle Ava and the concept of a life coach. Ava then states how she disagrees with the idea of a therapist, knowingly this would anger Erica. Ava then outsmarts Erica by proving her wrong in her own sayings. Erica accepts the loss and leaves the room. Towards the end of her stay in Miami she approaches Julia, who just agreed to help Christian raise his new child Wilber. She tells Julia that helping Christian is a mistake and she needs to think more for her own best interests. Julia then becomes frustrated with her and asks her to leave that night. After being in New York for sometime, Erica returns to Miami by request of Matt, Julia's son, and Erica's grandchild. Julia had recently been kicked out of her house by Sean because she told him that Christian was Matt's biological father, not Sean. Erica tries to approach Sean about Julia's state only for Sean to tell her that she is the one who needs to help Julia, not him. After Sean and Julia's separation from the last season, Erica returns to Miami to help Julia with the divorce. She hires a lawyer for Julia, and pushes her very hard to take as much from Sean as she can. Erica tells Julia that it is her turn in life now, not Sean's. To use this as an opportunity to become her full potential, a medical doctor. Julia is disgusted by her mother's doings and doesn't comply. Erica returns to New York. Shortly after, Erica returns to Miami again, this time to help Matt. Matt recently discovered that his ex-lover, Ava Moore, was actually a transsexual. This took a very heavy hit on Matt and his sexual identity. Erica, once again, brings her expert experience into giving advice to Matt on how to deal with his feelings. Erica's last appearance in season 3 was when she visits Miami to see Julia's new spa, De La Mer. She once again does not praise Julia for what she has done with her life. Instead, she brings up that if Julia would have listen to her on the divorce, that Julia would be near done with medical school. This frustrates Julia. Erica then tries to comfort her by telling her that maybe she should go see a therapist. Julia then becomes infuriated and tells her to take an earlier flight home and to get out of her life. Later in the day, Julia discovers that the earlier flight she wanted her on crashed on take off. Julia then goes with Sean to the crash site to search through the survivors and find her mother, if alive. Julia finds a woman who she thought was her mother, but horribly burned. After recalling her dysfunctional history with Erica and forcefully euthanizing the woman in secret, Julia feels relieved rather than mournful. Later that day Julia goes home to see that Erica is alive and well and had been waiting for her the whole time. Erica says "Oh Sweetheart, I've been waiting for you all night! I couldn't leave the way things are between us. Oh, Did you hear the news? That earlier flight you wanted me on crashed!" Noughton, Erica